tadpole7, Donna Soldridge, Barry's mom, revealed the connection when she testified on Tuesday. That article can be found here:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/northampton-county/index.ssf/2011/10/barry_soldridge_jrs_mother_bro.html

Mr. Williamson claims court records have not accurately listed his age before - they indicate he would be only 19 now, but says he is 20. He also did not finish high school, which I will include in the post.
Williamson claims he pre-enlisted at the age of 17, and enlisted and began boot camp in South Carolina soon after turning 18. Adding the time for boot camp, his tour, his few months home and the time in prison could still place him at 20, although he would be close to his 21st birthday.

Easton911, thank you for your comment.
I did include the actual plea in the post - Mr. Barker pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and a separate drug charge. If you click on the link, it takes you to the article on the plea hearing.
In no way am I minimizing the crime, but I am stating the final outcome of the case, which is relevant here because he is appealing that outcome.

b-mac,
The charge carries an absolute maximum of two years in prison, but under the state sentencing guidelines that is an aggravated sentence for someone with Torres' criminal record. The guidelines normally recommend a lesser sentence than the maximum.
That does not mean Torres may not get the maximum sentence; it means the judge would need to cite aggravating factors for giving him the max.

The board members are appointed by the county executive, and as of Tuesday Executive John Stoffa said he asked Robinson whether he would leave the board or not. If Robinson refuses, I don't know what the next step would be - either the county executive or county council taking action if they want.

Easton911, Northampton County's policy has been ARD is only granted twice - once for DUI-related, and once for other criminal charges. If a prosecutor cannot find records of a previous ARD case, a defendant may be granted ARD again, but I have only seen that happen once.

skundo, the headline on this web post was written by me, stating that Ms. Bartos is Mr. Bruneo's girlfriend. The erroneous headline in the newspaper was written by a copy editor and I have notified an editor of the mistake.
As for what's contained in the article, it is based on the PFA record, which was based on Mr. Bruneo's own account of what happened that night.

sommgirl, the information in this article is based on Mr. Bruneo's PFA application and Ms. Bartos' arrest record. Mr. Bruneo was contacted for comment and has not reached out to me in any way. Since you state you are a friend of his, I would ask that if there are mistakes that he contact me himself at 610-258-7171 ext. 3456 or by e-mail at scassi@express-times.com

I have no doubt that Victory House does do good things for struggling individuals -- but in this case they may be breaking their mission. The public is informed on their website that the shelter does not take residents with sex crimes convictions - if Mr. Byrd is living there, then that is not true.

As for HIPAA, that does not cover residency information at a shelter. So while officials claimed that was why they could not confirm if Mr. Byrd is living there, they then backtracked and cited confidentiality. People, especially those who would consider supporting the shelter, should know that.

You can call me names, question my background and claim that I am "that low of a 'reporter'", but nothing will keep me from continuing to report information like this to the public -- even if you don't like hearing it.

There is no assumption on my part about Mr. Byrd's victim -- his criminal record, which I viewed in person, shows his conviction for statutory sexual assault. He was 35 when he had sex with a 15-year-old, and thus broke the law.
As for the shelter - their mission states they do not accept residents with sex crime convictions. If Mr. Byrd is living at the shelter, then they are breaking their mission. People should know that.

Elle Ess, the reason I reported this incident is because the prison was on lockdown - a very serious procedure that indicates a safety concern at a building that houses almost 1,000 criminals. I cover the county, including the prison, and I'm not in the business of keeping information away from the public.
You are right that items can be made into weapons, and the fact that the spatula has not been found must be concerning to inmates who may fear for their safety.

Jon_Booper_570, The family told me they were assured Marshall would not be euthanized, and that they would not have returned him to the center if that was a possibility - I included their quotes in the post above.
I tried to ask the shelter about the case, but they have refused to speak with me. If you work or volunteer for the center, I would love to speak with you on the record about the process the family went through when they returned Marshall. I can be reached at 610-268-7171 ext. 3456.